The agency chief listed other concerns with the Waddell center: Leaky skylights, structural cracks, a worn out garage door, ailing freezers, equipment corroded by saltwater. Taylor said crucial pump systems were vulnerable to failure, which could lead to costly losses of fish.

Four months later, the Legislature had cast its last budget votes. Waddell’s fortunes had changed.

The Bluffton facility received less than half of what Taylor had pushed lawmakers to approve. But local community leaders were still pleased and said they expected to find money to fix Waddell in another agency fund.

Lawmakers, such as Rep. Bill Herbkersman, R-Bluffton, were glad Waddell received something — a change from earlier years. After all, it was the first time in 12 years the Legislature sent the center reoccurring operational funds — $353,000, at that.

Gov. Nikki Haley had sought to eliminate the dollars, but the S.C. House and Senate overrode her.

The Waddell center, situated on 1,200 acres at Victoria Bluff in Bluffton, stocks fish and develops sustainable farming techniques, among other activities. It’s widely considered a key piece in sustaining the state’s $1 million saltwater fishing industry.

Haley had also cut $903,000 that House lawmakers had set aside for facility repairs at Waddell.

“I am prepared to reconsider a request for one-time funding for this facility next year, subject to the availability of funds,” wrote Haley in her veto message.

“But in the meantime, responsible stewardship of taxpayer resources requires that we be disciplined enough to set priorities and only fund the most critical needs.”

The Republican governor’s veto of the $903,000 stuck, however, after the Senate sided with her and opted to reject the funds. In recent years, the regionally renowned DNR research center has gotten by on a patchwork of grants, donations, local fundraisers, and revenue from fishing licenses.

During the suspenseful debate over state dollars, local residents spoke out. Herbkersman, already laboring to restore the full $1.2 million, was flooded with messages from constituents urging him to fight for the funding.

Since then, Waddell was awarded a $300,000 federal grant to work with the University of South Carolina Beaufort researching the impact of stormwater in estuaries.

GET INVOLVED

What: ‘Taste of Waddell’

When: 3-7 p.m. Nov. 10

Where: Waddell Mariculture Center at the end of Sawmill Creek Road in Bluffton

ON THE WEB

Visit blufftontoday.com to see more photos of structural damage at the Waddell Mariculture Center.